Gasparo Angiolini

Gasparo Angiolini (7 February 1731 – 6 February 1803), real name Domenico Maria Gasparo, son of Francesco Angiolini and Maria Maddalena Torzi, was an Italiandancer and choreographer, and composer. He was born in Florence and died in Milan.

He later succeeded Franz Hilverding as director of the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1766. Both Hilverding and Angiolini are credited with bringing the pantomime ballet[2] to Russia. Likewise, Angiolini also attempted to introduce elements of Russian culture into his own work through use of songs, folk dances, and Russian themes.

Angiolini was a choreographer interested in the dramatic possibilities of dance. He was also an early spokesman for a sense of Italian nationalism and spoke of the sad state where Germany and Russia were supporting better cultural institutions than was Italy.

His son (or nephew) Pietro Angiolini was also a dancer and choreographer, his daughter Fortunata Angiolini [ru] (1776–1817) and her partner Armand Vestris have danced in Lisbon and London with great success.